The Oa

Address

Car park is situated on unnamed road, on the way to the American Monument PA42 7AU, Isle of Islay

Grid ref

NR282423

The Oa, on Islay, is a breathtaking reserve of dramatic sea cliffs, open moorland, freshwater lochs, coastal grassland and heath. It's home to many important breeding and wintering birds. Watch out for the golden eagles, which are present throughout the year, soaring above the cliffs and moors.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members

Yes

Adults

Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children

Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

No visitor centre

Car park

Toilets off-site

Accessible toilets off-site

No Refreshments

Picnic area

Guided walks

Nature trails

Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By bus

The nearest bus stop is in Port Ellen.

By road

Approximately 6 miles (9.6 km) south-west of Port Ellen, Isle of Islay.

Nature spectacles

Golden eagles grace the skies around The Oa throughout the year, making the reserve one of the best locations for visitors to Islay to glimpse this majestic soaring raptor.

From February into early spring, golden eagles are active with territorial display flights, courtship and mating. Later in the year you may see them catching updrafts and soaring over their home range, perched patiently on rocky knolls along the hill line, or stooping for prey such as geese or hares. For the best chance of a sighting, allow a couple of hours from a vantage point on the circular trail or join one of our regular guided walks.

Our specially planted arable fields have attracted nationally significant numbers of wintering twite to the reserve. These delightful flocks of chattering finches are restless, but obliging; frequently amassing on fences lines with linnets before taking off in a flurry of wings and drawn out calls.

Seasonal highlights

Take an early morning walk in spring and you will experience air filled with birdsong as males compete to establish territories and attract a mate. If you're lucky, you might spot golden eagles and choughs building nests and feeding young, geese migrating north and spring migrants returning for summer.

In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. You might spot young choughs begging for food around the coast and juvenile golden eagles leaving their nests. Keep an eye out for marsh fritillary butterflies on the wing, bumblebees and hoverflies foraging for nectar on herb-rich field margins.

In late summer and early autumn, the cliff top provide an ideal vantage point to sea watch for whales, basking sharks, dolphins and seals.

Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. You might also see flocks of farmland birds in stubble fields and cover crops, raptors hunting over the fields, geese returning and migrant thrushes passing through.

In winter, look out for skeins of Greenland white-fronted geese moving noisily between grazing sites, flocks of farmland birds amongst winter stubbles and cover crops, choughs feeding in fields and around the coast.

About The Oa

Habitat

At more than 2,000 hectares, The Oa is a large and diverse reserve characterised by rugged windswept moorland, encircling high nature value farmland. Moving towards the coast that bounds two sides of the reserve, the moorland and heath gives way to coastal grassland, grazed by our traditional breeds of livestock and the feral goats that call The Oa home.

The stunning coastal cliffs tower 100m over the often turbulent sea below and rise, at their highest point, to Beinn Mhòr at 202m. Within the folds of cliff face are hidden bays, where tumbling waterfalls terminate the burns and streams that run from the freshwater lochs and peatland bogs inland.

Amongst the rich natural heritage, the human history is evident. The American Monument is a striking landmark, visible from much of Islay and beyond. It stands as a memorial to lives lost in the First World War and the compassion and selflessness that Islay residents displayed in dealing with two maritime tragedies. Along the coast, the site of a hilltop fort, Dùn Athad, provides the most iconic view of The Oa, but less obviously, ruins of farm buildings, lime kilns and watermills betray a past where a much larger community was a feature of the magnificent hills and glens.

Conservation

The Oa reserve is a working farm, managed in hand by the RSPB. We use a mix of native and more commercial cattle and sheep breeds to provide suitable habitat for a range of key species, with a particular focus on choughs.

We're managing our coastal grassland and heath for the benefit of rare breeding birds, including choughs, twites and golden eagles. This involves grazing to create a mix of short and medium sward, while controlling heather and bracken, and maintaining fences and earth banks.

We are maintaining a good mosaic of blanket bog and moorland for breeding birds, including hen harriers, curlew and snipe. This also benefits wintering geese and rare marsh fritillary and large heath butterflies. Work includes blocking ditches to restore bog, while maintaining areas of open water.

Our many other habitats each receive special care: lochs host otters, roosting geese and breeding red-throated divers; sea cliffs support breeding seabirds, raptors and choughs; and scrub areas provide cover for small birds like grasshopper warblers, redpoll and whinchat; even old farm buildings provide nest sites for bats, choughs and barn owls.

Partners

Thanks to SNH Peatland Action Fund.

Site information

This nature reserve is important for wildlife. It is also a working farm and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Activities and events

Leisure activities

From the reserve car park, the American Monument is a 20-minute walk via a well-signposted path, a longer circular route is also available. Please note that some sections of the path can be wet and muddy and in bad weather the site is very exposed, particularly around the cliff tops. Please take care and ensure you have suitable footwear and clothing for the conditions.

Please note, the reserve is a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest and use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles such as drones is prohibited without the permission of the regulator, Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB as the landowner.